A learning disability is a neurological disorder. In simple terms, a learning disability results from a difference in the way a person's brain is "wired." Children with learning disabilities are as smart or smarter than their peers. But they may have difficulty reading, writing, spelling, reasoning, recalling and/or organizing information if left to figure things out by themselves or if taught in conventional ways.

A learning disability can't be cured or fixed; it is a lifelong issue. With the right support and intervention, however, children with learning disabilities can succeed in school and go on to successful, often distinguished careers later in life.

Parents can help children with learning disabilities achieve such success by encouraging their strengths, knowing their weaknesses, understanding the educational system, working with professionals and learning about strategies for dealing with specific difficulties.

Not all great minds think alike

Did you know that Albert Einstein couldn't read until he was nine? Walt Disney, General George Patton, and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller had trouble reading all their lives. Whoopi Goldberg and Charles Schwab and many others have learning disabilities which haven't affected their ultimate success.

Facts about learning disabilities

• Fifteen percent of the U.S. population, or one in seven Americans, has some type of learning disability, according to the National Institutes of Health.

• Difficulty with basic reading and language skills are the most common learning disabilities. As many as 80% of students with learning disabilities have reading problems.

• Learning disabilities often run in families.

• Learning disabilities should not be confused with other disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, deafness, blindness, and behavioral disorders. None of these conditions are learning disabilities. In addition, they should not be confused with lack of educational opportunities like frequent changes of schools or attendance problems. Also, children who are learning English do not necessarily have a learning disability.

• Attention disorders, such as Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities often occur at the same time, but the two disorders are not the same.

Common learning disabilities

• Dyslexia – a language-based disability in which a person has trouble understanding written words. It may also be referred to as reading disability or reading disorder.

• Dyscalculia – a mathematical disability in which a person has a difficult time solving arithmetic problems and grasping math concepts.

• Dysgraphia – a writing disability in which a person finds it hard to form letters or write within a defined space.

• Auditory and Visual Processing Disorders – sensory disabilities in which a person has difficulty understanding language despite normal hearing and vision.

• Nonverbal Learning Disabilities – a neurological disorder which originates in the right hemisphere of the brain, causing problems with visual-spatial, intuitive, organizational, evaluative and holistic processing functions.

The good news about learning disabilities is that scientists are learning more every day. Their research provides hope and direction.

If parents, teachers, and other professionals discover a child's learning disability early and provide the right kind of help, it can give the child a chance to develop skills needed to lead a successful and productive life. A recent National Institutes of Health study showed that 67 percent of young students who were at risk for reading difficulties became average or above average readers after receiving help in the early grades.

Parents are often the first to notice that "something doesn't seem right." If you are aware of the common signs of learning disabilities, you will be able to recognize potential problems early. The following is a checklist of characteristics that may point to a learning disability. Most people will, from time to time, see one or more of these warning signs in their children. This is normal. If, however, you see several of these characteristics over a long period of time, consider the possibility of a learning disability.

Preschool

• Speaks later than most children

• Pronunciation problems

• Slow vocabulary growth, often unable to find the right word

• Difficulty rhyming words

• Trouble learning numbers, alphabet, days of the week, colors, shapes

• Extremely restless and easily distracted

• Trouble interacting with peers

• Difficulty following directions or routines

• Fine motor skills slow to develop

Grades K-4

• Slow to learn the connection between letters and sounds

• Confuses basic words (run, eat, want)

• Makes consistent reading and spelling errors including letter reversals (b/d), inversions (m/w), transpositions (felt/left), and substitutions (house/home)

• Transposes number sequences and confuses arithmetic signs (+, -, x, /, =)

• Slow to remember facts

• Slow to learn new skills, relies heavily on memorization

• Impulsive, difficulty planning

• Unstable pencil grip

• Trouble learning about time

• Poor coordination, unaware of physical surroundings, prone to accidents

Grades 5-8

• Reverses letter sequences (soiled/solid, left/felt)

• Slow to learn prefixes, suffixes, root words, and other spelling strategies

• Avoids reading aloud

• Trouble with word problems

• Difficulty with handwriting

• Awkward, fist-like, or tight pencil grip

• Avoids writing assignments

• Slow or poor recall of facts

• Difficulty making friends

• Trouble understanding body language and facial expressions

High School Students and Adults

• Continues to spell incorrectly, frequently spells the same word differently in a single piece of writing

• Avoids reading and writing tasks

• Trouble summarizing

• Trouble with open-ended questions on tests

• Weak memory skills

• Difficulty adjusting to new settings

• Works slowly

• Poor grasp of abstract concepts

• Either pays too little attention to details or focuses on them too much

• Misreads information